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Re: Peeing in the pool poll.

Isn't urine sterile?

Seriously, peeing in a pool is unbelievably gross. I can't believe anyone would do this in a swimming pool. I barely do it when I'm wade fishing in Texas bays. It still doesn't feel right to pee with a bathing suit/wading pants on.

Re: Peeing in the pool poll.

Originally Posted by HouTex

Isn't urine sterile?

Seriously, peeing in a pool is unbelievably gross. I can't believe anyone would do this in a swimming pool. I barely do it when I'm wade fishing in Texas bays. It still doesn't feel right to pee with a bathing suit/wading pants on.

Re: Peeing in the pool poll.

Originally Posted by HouTex

Isn't urine sterile?

Seriously, peeing in a pool is unbelievably gross. I can't believe anyone would do this in a swimming pool. I barely do it when I'm wade fishing in Texas bays. It still doesn't feel right to pee with a bathing suit/wading pants on.

Re: Peeing in the pool poll.

Originally Posted by texasdad

Originally Posted by HouTex

Isn't urine sterile?

Seriously, peeing in a pool is unbelievably gross. I can't believe anyone would do this in a swimming pool. I barely do it when I'm wade fishing in Texas bays. It still doesn't feel right to pee with a bathing suit/wading pants on.

Yes, my point was that it's hard for me to let go when I have pant bottoms/swim trunks on. I have to wait until I'm in the boat and then drop trow and go the usual way of the bow or stern. Of course fish, porpoises, etc. pee in the bay. I just have a hard time doing it with pants on. Just seems unnatural to me. I can't imagine doing it in my or someone else's pool.

Re: Peeing in the pool poll.

Originally Posted by spidey07

Dude, fish pee all the time.

Something to keep in mind on this though. As an aquarium keeper one of the first things you learn about is what is called the "cycle". This is the natural transformation of the waste into semi-harmless matter. This is done by two types of benificial bacteria. The first kind breaks ammonia down into nitrites. The amonia is a byproduct of the fish pee. The second kind breaks the nitrites down into nitrates. In the normal cycle, aquatic pets go to the bathroom in their own house. They urinate and excrete directly into the water. It would be the same as you or I urinating or excreting into the air, in our very own houses. For the aquarium inhabitants, the most harmful waste product is ammonia. Nitrites are also very harmful to the inhabitants, but not as harmful as ammonia. Nitrates, in large quantities, are also harmful to the inhabitants, but not nearly as harmful as either ammonia, or nitrites. Nitrites are eliminated thru water changes and by live plants in the water which convert the nitrates into oxygen

In nature this same cycle exists. The addition of fresh water from rain and springs as well as the plant life in the water combine to remove all of the byproducts and keep the water fresh. Wind and wave action also help with this.

Pools don't have this ability so we clorinate to keep the bacteria at bay. While I will agree that the thought is gross, I think it is more psycological than anything.

Re: Peeing in the pool poll.

The ammonia in urine combines with chlorine to form monochloramine quickly -- about 90% complete in under 1 minute in a pool with the FC at around 10% of the CYA level and at 77ºF. It takes about 3 hours for the chlorine to oxidize 90% of the monochloramine mostly to nitrogen gas. Urea takes much longer so builds up in the pool though exposure to sunlight helps break up chlorine into a more powerful oxidizer that may oxidize urea. Chlorine will kill most bacteria with a 99.9% kill in under 1 minute, but unless you have a urinary tract infection your urine would be fairly sterile.